Saving

In this activity, students will be able to: 

• Examine a number of cartoons about saving and choose one to analyze in more depth
• Explain the cartoon's key message about why it can be challenging to save money and how it depicts that message

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Internalize how the Rule of 72 can be used to think about the power of compound interest.
• Use movement in the classroom to physically model the Rule of 72

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Play the game Spent and reflect on their experience of living paycheck to paycheck.

In this activity students will be able to:

• Take a quiz to discover their spending habits
• Analyze their quiz results to decide whether or not they want to change these habits
• Connect spending habits to saving for the future

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Break down their savings goals into monthly, weekly, and daily savings requirements.
• Available in English & Spanish

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Explore the effect that doubling could have on their investments.

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Examine the question: What if I invested that latte? Students will choose an item they regularly purchase and investigate what would happen if they cut out that expense, saved that money and invested it for retirement.

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Determine what features they value in a savings account and then conduct online research to determine which accounts best meet their needs. They compare and then select which savings account would be best for them.

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Conduct online research on different kinds of saving accounts including OSAs, CDs, and more. Students will then use their knowledge to make recommendations on which type of saving account they think people in three different scenarios should use.
• Available in English & Spanish

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Define their savings goals. Students will then write a letter to a friend, family member, mentor, etc. explaining their goals, how they plan to achieve them, and what support they may need.

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Brainstorm short-, medium-, and long-term savings goals.
• Available in English & Spanish

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Have the option of using 4 different levels of spreadsheet difficulty to determine how much a star NBA player could have saved for retirement just by investing in an index fund.

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Create a spreadsheet to solve a problem of compounding interest.

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Conduct online research on a variety of mobile apps that encourage us to save more. Students will note the pros and cons for each of the apps they research, identity which app(s) they would prefer to use, and reflect on the use of apps as an effective saving strategy.

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Research Ronald Read, the janitor who made over $8M through saving and investing. They will crunch the numbers for how he did it, and look for saving and investing tips they can use to match his success.

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Conduct online research on saving strategies, determine which strategies are good advice, and identity strategies that they plan to use in the future.

In this activity, students will be able to:

• Prepare for and engage in a role play between a bank employee and a potential customer who wants to open a savings account.
• Available in English & Spanish

In this Common Core Standards-aligned project, students work in groups to create a marketing campaign for a bank’s savings account. They design a giveaway promotion, create print advertisements, and write and/or produce a commercial.

• Available in English & Spanish

In this Common Core aligned project, students will explore the listicle as a journalistic style while learning pro savings tips. They’ll conduct internet research and use it to collaboratively create their own digital presentation, which they’ll present to the class.

In this Common Core aligned project, students will read about savings programs that start as young as Pre-K. They will do online research about some of these programs and then write persuasively about whether savings programs for young children are a good idea.

In this Common Core aligned project, students do web research on one bank’s savings account options. Then, they form a group with others who have researched different banks and put together a comprehensive report. Finally, they make decisions on which bank makes the most sense for them.

In this Common Core Standards-aligned project, students will work in groups to create a public service announcement convincing their target audience to save money in order to reach a goal.

• Available in English & Spanish

In this Case Study, a recent college graduate, Jocelyn, prepares for a meeting with her financial adviser. She has developed short, medium and long-term savings goals to purchase a car, a home and an early retirement. She has a choice to make after her adviser makes specific investment recommendations.

In this Case Study, students will learn about two high school friends with very different savings habits. Samuel is a super saver but not happy about it. Juan Carlos, with no history of saving, learns suddenly that he will need to develop a savings plan for college.

• Available in English & Spanish

In this Number Chug, students will:

• Compare and contrast the interest earned in savings accounts and CDs
• Make calculations to weigh the pros and cons of putting your money in each account

Common Core Alignment:

CC.9-12.F.LE.1b Recognize situations in which one quantity changes at a constant rate per unit interval relative to another.
CC.9-12.F.LE.1c Recognize situations in which a quantity grows or decays by a constant percent rate per unit interval relative to another.
CC.9-12.A.SSE.1: Interpret expressions that represent a quantity in terms of its context.